A New Study Suggests Tainted Talcum Powder Can Cause a Rare Cancer. Here's How That Could Play Out in the Courtroom

A new 33-patient case study published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine provides some of the strongest proof yet that exposure to asbestos-tainted talcum powder may cause malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer that affects tissues lining internal organs.

This isn’t only an important scientific discovery—it could also give new ammunition to plaintiffs in the thousands of cases brought against brands selling talcum-powder-based products alleged to cause cancer, like Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder.

“It’s very, very hard, in general, to prove exactly what caused your specific case of disease,” says Steve Gold, a professor at Rutgers Law School who specializes in toxic and hazardous substances. “If a credible physician and researcher is willing to testify and has published that these individual cancers appear to be caused by asbestos exposure from talcum powder, that’s evidence that is usually not available to plaintiffs. That’s very powerful.”

Asbestos is a group of naturally occurring fibrous minerals that’s considered a human carcinogen by the World Health Organization and other public health groups. It is linked to mesothelioma, ovarian cancer and lung cancer. Among other places, it’s found in building supplies, insulation, some car parts—and the talc from which talcum powder is made. (Talc also turns up in cosmetics like blush and facial makeup.) Since the 1970s, manufacturers have pledged to use talc that is free from detectable levels of asbestos, but there is still little regulation over the cosmetic industry, and concerns about asbestos contamination persist. A bombshell 2018 Reuters report also found that J&J knew for decades that some of its Baby Powder was tainted by asbestos, but did not report that information publicly or to federal regulators.

J&J has also for years been under fire in the courtroom. In March, for example, a California jury awarded more than $29 million to a woman who claimed talcum-powder-based J&J products contributed to her mesothelioma. The year before, a jury ordered J&J to pay more than $4 billion in damages to a group of women who claimed its products caused them to develop ovarian cancer. And in 2016, the consumer products giant was ordered to pay $55 million to a woman who said Baby Powder contributed to her ovarian cancer.

Read the full post on Time

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Zika-Linked Cases of Microcephaly Rise in Brazil

The number of cases of microcephaly in Brazil associated with the Zika virus has risen to 4,863 —up from 4,690 a week ago. Confirmed cases of the virus reached 641, while suspected cases now total 4,222, Reuters reported on Wednesday morning, citing the Ministry of Health. The Zika epidemic—which is now spreading through the Americas and prompting a dedicated response from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—is centered in Brazil. Read more: How Brazil Uncovered the Possible Connection Between Zika and Microcephaly Doctors believe the virus is linked to microcephaly, a birth defect involving an abnormally small head and incomplete brain development, though there is not yet definitive scientific proof of the link.

Kanye West Calls Taylor Swift A ‘Fake A**’ In Violent ‘SNL’ Rant: Listen To His Meltdown Kanye West has officially lost his marbles. The rapper, who on his new album claims he made Taylor Swift famous, called her a “fake a**” during an epic meltdown backstage at Saturday Night Live on Feb. 13. Listen to the entire thing here! In a crazy audio clip released by Page Six , Kanye is heard screaming, rather violently, at the staff at SNL , saying, “Don’t f*** with me.” “Are they f***ing crazy? Whoa by 50 percent [I am more influential than] Stanley Kubrick, Picasso, Apostle Paul, f***ing Picasso and Escobar. By 50 percent more influential than any other human being. Don’t f*** with me. Don’t f*** with me. Don’t f*** with me. By 50 percent dead or alive, by 50 percent for the next 1,000 years. Stanley Kubrick, ‘Ye,” he added. As HollywoodLife.com ...

Australia Has Rescued 37 People Stranded on an Icebreaker Ship in Antarctica

Australia sent a mission to rescue 37 people who were stranded aboard an Australian icebreaking ship that ran aground after a severe blizzard Wednesday. Australian officials said on Friday that they were launching a rescue mission to retrieve the members of the icebreaker’s expedition and bring them to Mawson Station — an Australian research facility on Antarctica — reports the BBC. Thirty-one crew members will stay onboard the 4,311-ton vessel, the Aurora Australis, and work to refloat it. All 68 passengers and crew are safe, authorities said, and the vessel itself incurred only a small breach in its hull. The ship ran aground Wednesday morning when a massive blizzard untethered it from its mooring lines. [ BBC ]

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